Collapse in IVF sperm donations
Sperm bank clinics are facing a "crisis" over a shortage of donors, an investigation found today. The BBC said women and couples trying to get pregnant were having severe trouble, with some clinics recording fully depleted stocks.
Numbers have been falling since the 1990s - when there was a peak of 459 donors, the broadcaster said. But the problem has got worse since then. Last year, a new law gave children the right to know the identity of their donor father at the age of 18.
The BBC contacted all 84 NHS and private fertility clinics and the one sperm bank in the UK and received 74 responses. Almost 70 per cent (50 clinics) said they were currently getting "no sperm" or were having "great difficulties" sourcing it. The sperm bank said it had stocks but admitted donor numbers were falling.
Overall, 90 per cent of all UK donors attended just 10 clinics, the investigation found. Dr Allan Pacey, head of andrology at the University of Sheffield and secretary of the British Fertility Society, said there was a crisis.
He added: "If there aren't enough men who are willing to donate and be identified... and we don't have the ability to import sperm from other countries because the regulations are too tough, then we are not going to be able to treat patients that require donor sperm treatments.
"Sadly, some will go without and sadly that may be the end of donor treatments as we have known it.
"I think we are certainly in a crisis at the moment. Most of the clinics are finding it very difficult to get enough sperm to treat their patients."
Dr Pacey said patients were left in a desperate situation. "If they are unable to get treatment in their local clinic, then they are looking to other sources," he added.
"Some are getting flights to other European countries, others may turn to internet sites that are providing sperm for home insemination. There are signs of desperation and I thoroughly understand them."
The process of screening and vetting means that for every 100 men who wish to donate, only five will have their sperm accepted.
Figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) showed that 325 men registered to be donors in 2000. This figure was 328 in 2001, then dropped to 278 in 2002 and 255 in 2003.
In 2004, a total of 248 men registered. Figures to August 2005 showed there were 157 donors. Total figures for 2005 will be available later this year.
A spokesman for the HFEA said there had been a steady downward trend in donors since the late 1990s "long before changes to the anonymity law were discussed". The HFEA highlighted the problem in June, he said, and urged clinics to do more to recruit donors.
Dr Mark Hamilton, chair of the British Fertility Society, said: "The British Fertility Society is well aware of the difficulties many patients throughout the country are experiencing in accessing gamete donation services, in particular donor insemination treatment.
"A working party has been convened by the society to examine the situation and will shortly be making recommendations to the Department of Health.
"Provision of such services requires significant resources to attract, recruit, screen, and counsel prospective donors. The survey reinforces our own findings that many clinics are now finding it impossible to provide these services.
"One solution may be the development of a nationally co-ordinated donor recruitment service, managed through a number of adequately resourced recruitment centres, to meet the urgent needs of our patients, many of whom remain distressed by yet another example of postcode variation in quality and availability of fertility services throughout the country."
